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that in the Mountain Brush Reference Area, herbaceous production increarsed as did the total • <br />cover, usually mostly driven by woody species. <br />The abundant herbaceous production of the reclaimed areas provides a significant grazing <br />resource. For the most part, woody species, especially old growth of the taller species, offer <br />little that grazing domestic animals find attractive as browse. The reclaimed areas as they <br />presently exist are closely compatible with the objectives of livestock growers, and may also be <br />very compatible with the needs of wild ungulate grazers such as elk. The latter apparently find <br />that the herbaceous production of the reclaimed areas conforms to their gustatory and other <br />habitat needs as evidenced by accounts of mine personnel citing the abundance of elk, especially <br />during the winter, and the abundance, during summer sampling, of their scat throughout many <br />parts of the reclamation. Deer, commonly present in the reclamation ars well, will benefit from <br />the herbaceous production in the reclaimed areas during spring, summer, and fall. Columbian <br />sharp-tailed grouse established a lek in herbaceous-dominated reclamation in 1995 and <br />continued to use it in 1996. <br />The usefulness of reclaimed area herbaceous production can be assessed by determining the <br />proper livestock stocking rates based on measured herbaceous production. The estimated • <br />stocking rates for the reclaimed and reference areas in 1996 are as follows: <br />Reclaimed Unit AUM /acre <br />1989 Reclaimed Areas 1 .7 <br />1992 Reclaimed Areas 0.7 <br />PECOCO Pasture 1 .1 <br />Wadge Pasture 2.1 <br />Mountain Brush Ref. Area 0.6 <br />Sagebrush Ref. Area 0.8 <br />The above calculations were based on a proper use factor of 50 percent .and one animal unit <br />requiring 810 pounds of forage per month. <br />The SCS has estimated annual production values for the mountain loam range site <br />(corresponding to the Sagebrush type) and the brushy loam type (corresponding to the <br /> <br />~p <br />